A Non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid whose flow properties are not described by a single value of viscosity. A non-Newtonian fluid has solid and liquid characteristics. When force is applied to the substance the cornstarch molecules cling to one another making it into a solid. When the force is not strong enough or is not constant it will react like a liquid. This substance can pour and also be picked up like a solid.
Sir Isaac Newton (4 January 1643–31 March 1727) Was the man they named these fluids after. Newton discovered the characteristics of fluids and solids and how they should work.
Procedure
We decided to test the what the difference is in something sinking into a non-Newtonian fluid when the size and weight varied. At first, we planned on testing if a penny would sink faster or slower in a beaker with 700ml of H2o and starting out with 1/2 a cup of cornstarch all the way up to 2 cups with 1/2 cup increments. After concluding that this was not testable because we couldn't tell when exactly it hit the bottom we decided to change our lab. After changing our lab, we put 32oz of cornstarch and 450ml of water into a beaker and mixed them together. We did ten trials of each coin which included a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. We held the coin on top of a meter stick and dropped it into the beaker. We timed how long it would take from the time it left the meter stick until the time the Oobleck covered the coin completely. After taking ten trials of each coin we came to a conclusion.
Results
Coins Dropped in Cornstarch & Water
Densities: Penny 6.94g, Nickel 8.902g, Dime 8.84g, Quarter 8.07g
Trials in Oobleck
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Penny
2.01s
2.10s
1.96s
2.25s
1.99s
2.07s
2.09s
1.95s
2.03s
2.05s
Nickel
1.68s
1.74s
1.45s
1.85s
1.60s
1.34s
1.76s
1.69s
1.52s
1.84s
Dime
5.54s
6s
5.34s
4.97s
5.19s
5.76s
5.75s
4.98s
6.02s
5.87s
Quarter
18.67s
12.34s
13.11s
10.32s
15.10s
12.40s
12.32s
9.76s
10.56s
11.4s
We did a T-test to see if the numbers could have occurred by chance. The p of the Penny and Nickel was .0000115. the p of the penny and dime was .00000000015. the p of the quarter and penny is .00000048. the p of the nickel and dime is .0000000000020 the p of the quarter and nickel is .00000033 and the p of the quarter and dime was .000011
Conclusions
Our results showed that the densest coin, the nickel, traveled through the surface of the cornstarch and water mixture the fastest. We hypothesized that the lighter objects would travel through the surface faster because the harder you push on the mixture the more of a solid the mixture becomes. A way to improve the accuracy of the experiment is to use a motion detector to start the time in the beginning and then stop the clock when the coin is no longer visible. A way to expand on the experiment is to use more objects to see if the mass of objects effects how they fall through the cornstarch and water mixture. Another way to improve the experiment is to have 20 trials instead of 10.
Table of Contents
Coins & Non-Newtonian fluid
Rob & ColemanIntroduction
A Non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid whose flow properties are not described by a single value of viscosity. A non-Newtonian fluid has solid and liquid characteristics. When force is applied to the substance the cornstarch molecules cling to one another making it into a solid. When the force is not strong enough or is not constant it will react like a liquid. This substance can pour and also be picked up like a solid.Sir Isaac Newton (4 January 1643–31 March 1727) Was the man they named these fluids after. Newton discovered the characteristics of fluids and solids and how they should work.
Procedure
We decided to test the what the difference is in something sinking into a non-Newtonian fluid when the size and weight varied. At first, we planned on testing if a penny would sink faster or slower in a beaker with 700ml of H2o and starting out with 1/2 a cup of cornstarch all the way up to 2 cups with 1/2 cup increments. After concluding that this was not testable because we couldn't tell when exactly it hit the bottom we decided to change our lab. After changing our lab, we put 32oz of cornstarch and 450ml of water into a beaker and mixed them together. We did ten trials of each coin which included a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. We held the coin on top of a meter stick and dropped it into the beaker. We timed how long it would take from the time it left the meter stick until the time the Oobleck covered the coin completely. After taking ten trials of each coin we came to a conclusion.Results
Coins Dropped in Cornstarch & Water
Densities: Penny 6.94g, Nickel 8.902g, Dime 8.84g, Quarter 8.07g
Conclusions
Our results showed that the densest coin, the nickel, traveled through the surface of the cornstarch and water mixture the fastest. We hypothesized that the lighter objects would travel through the surface faster because the harder you push on the mixture the more of a solid the mixture becomes. A way to improve the accuracy of the experiment is to use a motion detector to start the time in the beginning and then stop the clock when the coin is no longer visible. A way to expand on the experiment is to use more objects to see if the mass of objects effects how they fall through the cornstarch and water mixture. Another way to improve the experiment is to have 20 trials instead of 10.References
Ellen DeGeneres Show Cornstarch and Water Video June 13, 2008